Unbreakable
by Nickey923
Summary: Sakura had grown up, gone was the weak willed little girl she'd once been. He couldn't break her, she wouldn't allow him the satisfaction. Rated M for violence course language and maybe future citrus.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all! I've decided to stop being a coward and actually post a story for once. So here we go. I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this, I have a tentitive plotline made up in my head but it changes by the minute. I don't think this will be an incredibly long story, couple chapters at most and just a warning, everyones going to be kinda out of character, but you've got to remember this is based in the future, no ones going to stay the same. Also I know the plot won't follow the cannon stuff, but this is my own imagination at work. Things are going to work out differently then it does in the Anime or the Manga. But anyways, hope you enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not in anyway own Naruto and such related items. I will however lay claim to this plot line, but lets face it theres no way I'm gonna make it big with this story anyways so big deal.**

#

It was getting dark.

Or at least that was what she assumed. One could hardly see the sky through the gigantic branches of the trees that surrounded her, but the little light that managed to make its way to ground level was starting to fade. A small annoyed sigh escaped her, the sound seeming much louder due to the complete silence of the trees. Night fall would mean she would have to stop; the total darkness would make it impossible for her to see and her depleted chakra levels meant she wouldn't be able to use her senses to guide her through the forest. The slight breeze ghosted across her face, displacing the soft strands of dark pink hair that had managed to escape the ruthless combs keeping the mass contained. A small delicate hand came to brush it back behind her ear and she rubbed her tired green eyes before dropping her hand dejectedly.

Heaving one last annoyed sigh, Haruno, Sakura moved in search for a comfortable looking tree to rest against. '_Dammit, I was really hoping to sleep in my own bed tonight.'_

#

Standing on a branch at the peak of her chosen tree, Sakura watched the last rays of sunlight slip beyond the horizon. The moon was almost full, shining as brightly as the stars surrounding it but she knew once she moved towards the ground the light would cease to exist. That was fine with her though, darkness stopped bothering her a long time ago. You couldn't be a successful kunoichi if you were afraid of the dark and Sakura prided herself on her successes.

Sakura landed silently on the ground and crouched beside the trunk of the gigantic tree she'd chosen to sleep against. Taking off her pack she dug inside for a moment and pulled out a thin cotton blanket and a small traveling pillow. She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and leaned back against the rough bark of the tree. She wiggled around slightly trying to find a soft spot in the hard trunk of the tree.

'_Then again, why bother trying to get comfortable, it's not like I'm going to get to sleep anyways. It's much to quiet out here for me to relax anyways.'_ She sighed softly and then shook her head. _'Naruto's right, I have been sighing too much.'_ A smile graced her lips when she thought of her flamboyant friend. He'd wanted to come with her on this mission, desperate to get out release some of his pent up energy. He couldn't leave the village though; he had to stay and accompany Hinata to the party her family was having for her sisters birthday. Naruto had been trying very hard to prove himself to Hiashi for almost a year now and it seemed he was finally making progress. The Hyuuga clan leader had invited him to the party without having to be asked by Hinata.

She breathed in deeply and scowled; she could smell rain on the air. _'Great! That's just what I need, to be tired, low on chakra, uncomfortable AND wet. The Kami's hate me tonight. If it hadn't been for that bloody daimyo and his appearance obsessed intentions I would be back in Konoha by now. I blame this entire situation on him!'_ She had been sent to the aid of a daimyo's wife who had fallen very ill with a highly contagious virus that seemed to be spreading throughout the country. The daimyo had requested "the most talented medic Hidden Leaf had to offer" and the thought of it made her roll her eyes. Any experienced doctor would know how to cure such an illness and both Sakura and her sensei suspected he had requested a medic-nin merely to prove his influence. But the fact remained that the woman was sick and given the right circumstances this virus could kill her. So Sakura went anyways.

By the time she arrived at the daimyo's lavish estate a day later the sickness had spread to almost half the people in his household and it was starting to show up in the village as well. She had no choice but to make her rounds around the village, making sure people were healthy and showing them how to clean their surroundings so they did not fall victim to the virus again. By the time she had made it back to the daimyo's house she was exhausted and wanted nothing more then to collapse on the bed she had been given for the night. But just as she was about to do that the daimyo had requested an audience with her and she knew she couldn't refuse, it would make her Village and her sensei look bad. So she heaved her aching body to his office.

Flashback

_knock knock_

"_Enter!" Sakura pushed back the sliding door of the office and was not surprised by what she saw. It was highly decorated; a dark mahogany desk sat in the middle of the room, traditionally low to the ground. Fine silk covered every possible surface, there were beautiful, soft looking pillows arranged in front of the desk and in the corner there was a low table, where a bottle of fine sake sat along with small porcelain cups and a beautiful china tea set. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at the ridiculousness of the whole room. He was the lord of a poor village; that much was clear when she was making rounds healing the sick. Who did he have to impress? Why all the show when he could be spending his money helping improve the quality of life for his people? She fought the urge to yell at the selfish noble before her. _

"_You had wished to see me Kiyoshi-sama?" '_His name is ironic; the man is _anything_ but pure.'

"_Yes Sakura-chan" she hated the personal honorific he added to her name, but managed to keep quiet about it. She would just go home and rant to Naruto about it later. "I wished to thank you once again for putting so much effort into healing my wife so quickly. Her nurses think she should be strong enough to move about in a day or so."_

"_Just doing my job Kiyoshi-sama, I'm just glad I got here when I did, your wife was very ill."_

"_Yes well, that's all taken care of now isn't it?" he have her a strange smile before continuing "Now, the reason I asked you here was to request one more thing of you."He paused to rake his eyes down her figure "my wife fell ill at a very bad time, you see there is a gala tonight and the nobles from neighbouring villages will be here. I was hoping you would accompany me to this party, as a replacement for my wife." _

_She was stunned, was this man serious? His wife had almost died from a virus he had allowed to run though-out his people and all he could think about was the party he was throwing tonight? And worse, he was asking a different, much _younger_ woman to be his escort! This man made her sick. _

"_I'm sorry Kiyoshi-sama, but I don't think it would be appropriate for me to join you, your wife is still very sick and may still require my care." She bowed her head and bit her tongue to keep from adding a few colourful insults._

"_Don't be silly my dear, my lovely wife will be just fine. After all that hard work you deserve a rest to have fun." He winked at her and grinned "Besides, if you're worried about what to wear, I'm sure we could find you something that would suit your beauty." His eyes once again roamed her form appreciatively and her eyes narrowed dangerously. _

"_With all due respect Sama, I but decline. I'm a ninja, not a lady. If you do insist on attending the party with an escort you will have to look else where. I was summoned here to heal the sick, not to sate the lusts of selfish nobles." With that she turned on her heal and left the office. After grabbing her stuff she took off right away, not allowing herself anytime to rest before moving out into the forest. _

Flashback

Men here predictable, she had learned that over the years. The young naïve child that fell hopelessly in love with a cold hearted avenger grew into a beautiful kunoichi that took shit from no one. At 19 years old, her body had filled out; her face had lost the childish roundness it once held and was now defined, but still soft looking. She'd let her hair grow out, it flowed down her back in silky pink waves when she allowed it to hang loose. Most of the time she pulled it up into a messy bun or pony tail; it was just more practical when working in a hospital. Her breasts were in her opinion the perfect size, average and easy to bind back with out hurting herself to much but one could tell they were there, always. Her waist was small and toned from ruthless training and her hips flared out softly. Her body was all muscle but still managed to look and feel soft. Ino was always saying how jealous she was, if she didn't watch what she ate she would get fat but Sakura just rolled her eyes at this; it was almost impossible to get fat in their profession, with Chouji being the only exception.

She'd grown up mentally as well. Gone was the weak cry baby girl that followed _"Sasuke-kun"_ everywhere. She was her own person, she didn't need to depend on anything, and Tsunade had made sure of that with her rigorous training. Sakura had pushed herself, finally seeing how pathetic she really had been when she was young. '_The asshole had been right all along. I suppose his leaving did me more good then anything else in the long run.' _ Her face fell slightly at the thought of her lost love. He'd done so much damage and for a while she could do nothing but cry and be miserable. It was a sad sort of depression; her love hadn't been strong enough to keep him there. After a while it had turned into an explosive anger; what kind of person knocks a teammate out and leaves her unconscious on a bench!? Honestly, she and Naruto were the closest things to family he'd ever had and he was able to just walk away, just like that. It infuriated her to know end, how could she be in love with that creep!

In time she'd calmed down into a disappointed sort of acceptance. The fact remained that she still loved him, although she denied it to everyone but herself. He would probably never come back and it was very unlikely she would see him again. She always hoped she would though, if for nothing but to prove him wrong about her. She'd worked so hard after he'd left, seeking out help and extra training when she couldn't master something, building on her skills. She'd trained with Tenten to improve her weapons mastery and accuracy; she'd even had the young weapons mistress help her master a pair of Sais, which was her weapon of choice. She'd spared with Lee to improve her taijutsu, Naruto worked with her on her stamina and all that on top of the strength passed down from Tsunade and her uncanny medical skills made her a formidable kunoichi. So much so that she'd achieved jounin status before Naruto, Hinata, Lee, Ino and Chouji.

Sakura blinked as a raindrop fell on her face just beneath her eye. _'God dammit, I can't catch a break today can I!?'_

#

Several feet away a figure was crouched in the thick branches of a tree, silently watching the young kunoichi tugging the blanket around her shoulders up above her head. A soft raindrop landed on the hand against the bark of the tree and he smirked; the young woman looked very put out by the appearance of precipitation.

He'd been shocked to come across her, she'd masked her chakra so well that if it hadn't been for his eyes he would have passed by her with out ever noticing her. But the Sharingan had seen her; nothing could escape the depths of his eyes. He'd quickly hidden in the branches of the tree, watching her intently to see if she'd detected him and it seemed she hadn't. He wondered if he should just keep moving or make his presence known. After all these years he was sure she would be able to recognize his chakra signature, it had always been explosive and violate and had just become more chaotic as time went on.

Making his decision Uchiha, Sasuke dropped silently from the tree, allowing the mask over his chakra slip and flare out. He smirked again as her body tensed slightly… this would be interesting.

#

Something prickled on the edge of her senses as she pulled from her shoulders to her head. _'Somebody's here…'_ She stayed calm, not allowing her body to react to the presence. If she played dumb maybe they'd go away.

After a minute or so of stillness an intense energy washed over her and her body tensed on reflex '_Shit, they know I'm here.'_ Her eyes widened in sudden realization '_I know this energy..'_

"Fuck…" She whispered before taking a breath and standing "I know your there… Sasuke." She couldn't see him, but she could feel his presence somewhere to the left of her. Her body tensed for action, her hand dropping to her side to hang near her weapons pouch and Sais, her legs unconsciously readying themselves to jump if need be. Hearing the whistle of metal, she dove to the ground just in time to avoid a kunai to the head. She rolled across the ground coming up in a crouch and letting a few shuriken fly toward his energy. But she sensed him move a second after the stars had left her hand; he'd come up behind her, standing a few feet away. She turned to face him and concentrated her chakra in her hand casting an eerie green glow over his figure. But the light wasn't enough to light up his face; she could only see the red glint of Sharingan eyes beneath jet black hair.

Sakura stood slowly and she stared at him intently. '_There's no chance of me winning this fight, even in perfect health I would be at a disadvantage, I have to try to run.'_ She turned her back to him suddenly, her hands creating signs he couldn't see and then she vanished into a puff of smoke.

Sasuke smirked; she didn't really think that would fool him did she? At least it wasn't as basic as a replacement jutsu. He took off after her with lightening speed, catching up to her in mere seconds.

'_Yes that's right, take the bate… follow me.' _Sakura jumped from branch to branch, feeling every leap whisk away precious chakra. Sasuke was gaining on her and when he got close enough she whirled to face him, lunging forward with both sais in hand. Sasuke raised his kusanagi in time to block her furious blows as she came at him. He read her sluggish movements almost before she made them and the offensive she had initiated was quickly shifting into the defensive as he returned the blows almost to fast for her to block them. She could tell he was playing with her, had he been serious he would be moving five times faster then he was at that moment. She suddenly whirled again, disappearing in a cloud of smoke. He narrowed his eyes and moved with impossible speed to intercept her, coming up in front of her with is kusanagi raised to deal a deadly. The blade came within millimeters of her face before she ducked down, her leg coming round to kick him swiftly under the knees. His hand caught her ankle and suddenly she was thrown backwards. Sakura rolled in the air, her feet pushing off from the rough bark of a tree and she leapt upwards, flying from branch to branch with all the speed she could manage.

Suddenly the air was forced from her lungs as a large fist came into contact with her stomach. The blow sent her flying backwards into the trunk of a huge tree, which served to further knock the breath from her chest as she hit the bark with a crippling force. Seconds later rough hands had a deadly grip on her wrists, holding her in place against the tree as she gasped and coughed desperately trying to force air back into her lungs.

She slowly opened her eyes, and was met with deep red and swirling black. Her whole body tensed as she stared into the Sharingan, her eyes widening in fear. Her body trembled unconsciously from the excursion and adrenaline now pumping through her system. Her breathing was labored and her eyes looked dull, he guessed she would be passing out in less then a minute. A cold, evil grin graced his lips as she stared deeply into his eyes, unable to look away from the pull of the Sharingan.

"Hello Sakura, it's been a while." Her breath caught in her throat at his words, her heart rate speeding up even more. Then her eyes rolled back in her head and her body went limp, slumping against her former teammate.

#

**Okay quick notes I know it was probably kinda dull at the beginning but I was just trying to establish Sakura's character. Anyways, tell me what you think, oh and if you spot any bad grammical errors or spelling errors let me know and I'll change it. I just did a quick proof read before posting it so I probably missed alot. And hopefully the next chapter will be a little bit longer. So send me some reviews :).  
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	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone, thanks for the reviews, they were encouraging. Just a heads up though, this story probably won't have a happy ending. I'm really not the happily ever after type. I like angst; it's just the way I am. Also, this is going to be a third person narrative but I think I'm going to focus a little more on Sakura's perspective then Sauske's . **

**Disclaimer: I do not in anyway own Naruto and such related items. I will however lay claim to this plotline, but lets face it there's no way I'm gonna make it big with this story anyways so big deal. :P**

**#**

Sasuke couldn't figure out why he was sitting there. He crouched somewhat uncomfortably in the shadows of a cave he'd come across three hours ago staring at the sleeping figure of his former teammate. After she passed out, the rain began to fall like a sheet of water, even through the branches of the gigantic trees surrounding them. With out thinking he'd gathered her unconscious form into his arms and took off towards the cave he'd passed a little while before hand. He quickly lit a small fire and arranged her body next to it before retreating to the shadows near the mouth of the cave to wait out the storm.

But the storm had long since blown itself out and he continued to sit there in that uncomfortable position starting at the soft form of the girl he'd left behind years ago. He had been vaguely surprised to see the jounin vest she wore. '_Did she really advance that far?'_ The bigger surprise was the holster holding the set of sais she carried. The Sakura he knew had never been very proficient when it came to weaponry, she was better at chakra control. But the encounter they had earlier told him she was very skilled with her weapon of choice. He smirked wondering how long it had taken her to master such a difficult set of weapons.

She looked different too. Her hair was long again, he could tell from the pieces that were falling out of the messy bun she had pinned to the nape of her neck. Her face had lost the innocence it once had and now had an aged, almost jaded look. Even when sleeping her face seemed strained with fine lines appearing on her brow and her jaw tightened. She hadn't grown much taller though and he suppressed the urge to grin a little; he would tower over her now. Despite all that she still managed to look fragile and weak and the thought made him sneer in distaste; she was still weak little Sakura, she hadn't changed a bit.

And yet, he still couldn't figure out why he was still sitting in that cold damp cave staring at her. He should have left ages ago when the storm stopped. Hell, he should have never started fighting her in the first place; he couldn't figure that one out either. Standing slowly he was just about to turn and walk out of the cave when her body turned abruptly towards him, eyes snapping open to stare at him through the darkness.

"Leaving so soon Sasuke?" His eyes narrowed, how long had she been awake? She sat up slightly and winced; no doubt from the ruthless punch to the stomach he'd dealt her earlier. He was surprised she didn't have any internal bleeding but then she was a medic, her body's chakra would naturally repair any physical damage done to her. She had obviously been low on chakra though because when she unzipped her vest and pulled up her shirt he could see the large deep purple bruise against the paleness of her skin.

"Hmm, was that really necessary?" Her eyes quickly flicked around the cave before landing back on him with a blank, almost bored expression. "I mean, you could have just hit me at the back of the neck like you did before." She glanced down at the tender flesh with a grimace before looking around the cave again and frowning slightly.

"Where are we?" She didn't really expect an answer but stranger things had happened so she voiced the question out loud just for the hell of it and predictably she didn't get an answer. _'I'm surprised he's still standing there, I thought he would have left by now. In fact I'm really confused as to why he's here at all. After kicking my ass I would have expected him to kill me, or at least leave me unconscious against that tree.' _She sighed quietly and turned towards the fire. She could understand why he was in the cave, Sasuke hated rain. But why was she with him? Why'd he bring her with him?

"If your going to hang around you should at least come into the light where it's warmer… besides its going to start raining again." Sasuke raised his one brow slightly and stared until a crack of lightening caught his eye followed by thunder three seconds later. '_How did she…?' _His eyes narrowed slightly and he moved into the light to sit across the fire from her.

Sakura couldn't help but stare a little when he moved past her to sit down. _'Fuck, why does he have to look so good?'_ The juban he wore barely covered anything, showing off the planes and ridges of his chest. His face had grown sharper, angular… aristocratic; his hair was a little longer, framing his face in shadows to give him a dangerous appearance. She bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood and forced herself to stare into the flames dancing in front of her. _'It's really to bad he has to look so hot in clothes that mark him a traitor… the whole irony theme tonight is really starting to get dull.'_

"Why are you here, Sakura?" She raised one delicately curved eyebrow and raised her head to meet his eyes. Looking into them she was vaguely reminded of staring at hard, cold stone; they betrayed nothing, showed no emotion and the dark circles around them making them look empty and haunted. It was almost frightening… _almost._

"I really don't think that's any of your business." She smirked "Besides, I could ask you the same question. We're less then half a day's travel from Konoha, doncha think that's a little close for an s-class criminal such as you to be hanging around?" His eyes narrowed slightly and she fought the urge to laugh. She could tell he was getting annoyed with her and she decided to push it a little further. "This forest is just crawling with Hidden Leaf shinobi, you know that. For all you know this could be an elaborate trap and a team of ANBU could be on th-.." She was abruptly thrust against the rocky wall behind her, his blade pressed tight against her throat. His face was inches from hers, red eyes glaring intently into hers. She smiled mirthlessly, glaring back at him just a fiercely. He pressed the blade into her skin, blood slowly making its way down her pale neck.

"Don't try my patience woman; I'm not one to play games with." He could tell she wasn't serious, but why was she deliberately trying to annoy him? The Sakura he knew tried so hard to get his attention and not annoy him which only served to annoy him anyways. He couldn't decide which was more vexing; the girl he used to know, or the woman standing before him now.

Her smile faded slowly from her face and she sighed softly. "Ask me no questions Sasuke, and I'll tell you no lies…" He stared at her for a few seconds more before his eyes darkened and he stepped back from her, his blade returning to its sheath. He turned around and went to once again settle himself across from the fire from her with his eyes closed. Sakura continued to stand there, leaning slightly against the uneven surface of the cave. She could feel frustration and anger building up in her chest '_He's the same old Sasuke, the arrogant, stuck up, prissy brat that I knew when I was a kid and it seems that's only gotten worse with time. The only thing different is this time he's got a fricken sword to threaten the world with.'_ She rolled her eyes. '_Don't try my patience woman; I'm not one to play games with. Yeah well I'm not one to play games with either you egotistical son of a b-..'_

"Hn, predictable." Her eyes snapped to his face; his eyes were still closed and his face was an emotional mask but she knew he was mocking her, looking down on her for whatever reason; just like always…

"Excuse me?" A small smirked worked its way onto his face. "Care to elaborate on that comment?" His eyes fluttered open annoyingly slow and cold black met vivid green; her face was blank, an emotional mask that matched his perfectly, but Sakura could never keep the emotion from her eyes.

"You're frustrated," he said simply.

"And? What's your point?" He didn't reply, but that was enough of a response for her. She knew what he meant; he'd always frustrated her, when she was young it was an infatuated, helpless sort of frustration. After he left it started out as a hopeless, depressed sort of frustration before turning bitter and angry.

"You're still annoying." Her eyes locked with his, giving him a deadly glare that gave him the distinct impression that if looks could kill he would be stepping into the inner most circle of hell at that moment.

"Pfft," She sat down with a huff and began working the pins out of her hair "I hate to break it to you _Uchiha_, but you're turning out to be just a predictable as I am. I'm just as annoying as I used to be and you're still an aristocratic brat who thinks he's better then everyone, which by the way is also very annoying." He raised an eyebrow slightly but she wasn't looking at him anymore.

Sakura yanked out the elastic that held the mass of her hair in place and it tumbled down her shoulders to stop only centimeters before touching the floor. She began working through the locks with her fingers and tried to ignore the slight tension in the silence. She winced slightly when her fingers snagged a knot and wished she could use the hair brush she had in her pack. But her pack was currently sitting a mile or so away being soaked in the storm. '_I blame you for this Uchiha, you and that bloody daimyo! God dammit why is he here anyways? He made his fucking choice and it was power.'_ She sucked in a long ragged breath and closed her eyes, trying to focus on working the kinks from her hair. '_Come on Sakura, calm down. Who the hell really cares why he's here? As long as he's not planning on attacking Konoha, it's none of my business.' _ But the question was still burning on her mind. So she asked anyways.

"Sasuke, why are you here?" His eyes snapped once again to her eyes; he'd been watching her groom her hair in silence, watching her as she pulled faces every time her fingers snagged a knot. She lifted her eyes to his gaze and when he didn't reply she continued.

"I thought you were supposed to become Orochimaru's new vessel. Isn't that what you had planned? To allow him your body and that way you would be strong enough to kill your brother?"Sasuke's eyes narrowed; she seemed genuinely curious about it. And she was right, that is what he had planned to do the last time and had told them the last time he'd met them. But when the time came to go through with it he realized that the snake sannin never had any intention of letting his vessel have his revenge and once Orochimaru was in control there was nothing Sasuke could do. He was only just able to stop the ritual that would have destroyed everything he'd worked for since his clan was obliterated by his hated brother. It's was during his fit of uncontrollable rage that he managed to kill the snake sannin, but it left Sasuke in terrible shape and he'd taken weeks to recover. Afterwards he and his team left in search of Akatsuki and Itachi. They'd decided to join with him and although it didn't matter that much to him; they all served their purposes for him. Both Suigetsu and Juugo were strong shinobi and Karin's ability to track chakra was an asset to him, even if her skills as a kunoichi were lacking. That's what had led them to the forests of fire country, Karin swore that she could sense Itachi's chakra faintly and nothing would stop him from following any lead that might lead him to his ultimate goal, not even the threat of his past catching up with him. Karin hard lost the trail again though and in a fit of rage Sasuke had left, telling the team to stay and wait till he got back. And they would be there when he got back, just like they always were.

Sakura bit back and sigh and closed her eyes. He wasn't going to answer her questions, that much was clear. '_So much for polite conversation, but then again I guess I deserve it after the stunt I just pulled on him. This is probably his way of getting revenge. Some things never change '_

"And you call me predictable."

"I don't need to explain anything to you." She stared at him for a moment. '_Hmm, translation: butt out, bitch.' _She shook her head slightly.

"No, your right Sasuke, you don't need to explain anything to me. I was merely curious." There was a sad lilt to her voice but when he looked at her face he was sure he imagined it. Her face was blank and when he looked to her eyes it was like Sakura had dropped a wall between him and her emotions. The sight made his chest tighten slightly with an emotion he couldn't identify and he squashed the feeling as quickly as it came. He was used to the caring emotional Sakura that bore her heart on her sleeve and showed the world her love for him, intentionally or not. But what did he care; as soon as the rain stopped he would walk out of her life again.

They sat in silence for a while listening to the fire crackle and the rain hitting softly against the leaves of the trees. The thunder and lightening had stopped and all that was left was the rain which came down steadily. Then Sakura took off her jounin vest and laid it down on the ground near the fire then she pulled her hitai-ate off her head and laid it on the ground next to her before resting her head on her vest and turning away from him.

"I'm going to try to get some sleep, if you leave before I wake up… it was good to see you again Sasuke."

"Hn" That was the only response she got and she let out an audible sigh.

"Good night Sasuke." She shifted slightly then stopped moving. With in a few minutes her breathing had slowed into a steady rhythm; we watched the rise and fall ad felt his chest tighten again with that unknown emotion. He leaned against the wall behind him, ignoring the sharp rocks pressing into his spine.

"Sleep well… Sakura." He whispered softly before closing his eyes and allowing his mind to drift into dreams of Konoha, his home, his old team and a certain pink haired kunoichi with a bright green eyes and a smile just for him…

**#**

_A twelve year old Sakura was walking through the streets of Konoha alone. There didn't seem to be anyone around, but for some reason this didn't seem to bug her. She just kept walking with out a destination in mind. _

_She turned the corner and found her self on a familiar street, the main road out of the Hidden Leaf Village; this was the road with the stone bench, the hated stone bench. She kept walking anyways, feeling a strange sort of anticipation spread around her body. She needed to move fast or else something bad was going to happen she just knew it. _

_As she neared the bench she could see a figure ahead. It was a twelve year old Sasuke, standing with his back to her; the wind blowing through is hair lightly. She called out to him, but it seemed he couldn't hear a word she was saying. So she began to walk towards him all the while trying to get his attention. _

"_Sasuke-kun" She picked up the pace, going from a walk to a jog; she didn't seem to be getting any closer to her. "Sasuke-kun." He still didn't respond and she could feel the feeling of anticipation in her intensify; something was wrong. _

_Suddenly the scene changed and she was her 19 year old self running at full speed through the forest towards the now 18 year old version of Sasuke. A sense of desperation filled her chest as she called out to him again and again. Ahead of him she could see dark mist, foreboding and sinister and it seemed to be drawing the young man in, whether he wanted to go or not._

"_SASUKE!" He turned his head slightly, but more she ran the more farther away he seemed to get. "__SASUKE!__" His body turned towards her and she could just make out the cold emotionless black eyes starting back into hers… or were they staring through her? At this distance she couldn't tell, she just kept running as fast as she could._

"_SASUKE STOP... SASUKE… __SASUKE__!!"_

"Sasuke-kun!!"

_Wait a second, that wasn't her voice… was it?_

"Sasuke-kun, where are you!?"

_Nope, definitely not hers…_

Sakura rolled over and opened here eyes slowly, then closed them again groaning at the brightness from the sunlight that managed to make its way into the cave. She opened them again squinting around the cave and was surprised to see a groggy looking Sasuke sitting exactly where she left him, across the fire pit from her. '_Did he sleep against the wall like that? It must have been so uncomfortable!'_

"Sasuke-kun, answer me, where are you??" The voice was getting louder but what interesting was that it was female, sounding annoyed worried and all to familiar to Sakura.

Sasuke opened his eyes warily and looked at the kunoichi lying on her back on the floor. Her eyes were open and she was staring at the ceiling of the cave with a pensive look on her face. '_I wonder what she's thinking about..'_ He could hear Karin calling out to him in the distance, but didn't make any sort of effort to reply to her cries. She would find him soon enough, she always did much to his dismay sometimes.

"Good morning Sasuke-san." He raised his eyebrow slightly at that. '_Sasuke-san huh? I suppose its much less annoying the Sasuke-kun…'_

"SASUKE-KUN!" Sasuke sighed, '_Speaking of annoyances…'_

Sakura jumped to her feet, sais half way out of their holster when a red headed girl came bursting into the cave they were currently residing in and attached herself to Sasuke's arm. Sakura caught the uncomfortable, annoyed look on Sasuke's face and relaxed her body. '_Well at least I know who the screamer is.' _She gave the girl a one over with her eyes. She was taller then Sakura, with flaming red hair and glasses that rimmed her red eyes. Her body had more shape then Sakura, making the pink haired girl look almost angular and tiny compared to her. But she clearly annoyed Sasuke, who tried several times to tug his arm out of her unrelenting grasp.

"Oh Sasuke-kun, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to make you angry. When you didn't come back you had me worried, I mean not that you couldn't have taken care of yourself I just thought you weren't going to come back and all…"

Sakura snorted lightly and turned around to pick up her jounin vest and head protector. This girl reminded Sakura of her younger self, the younger self that Sasuke made it very clear he did not like and yet her younger self kept on and on.

"And just who are _you_ and what are you doing here with _my_ Sasuke-kun." Sakura paused while trying to tie her headband back onto her head and turned around to face the girl who was kneeling beside Sasuke, still attached to his arm glaring poison laced daggers at her. Sakura resisted the urge to smirk and finished tying her hitai-ate to her head before zipping up her jounin vest.

"I am Haruno, Sakura and your _Sasuke-kun _and I were simply sharing shelter from the storm." Sasuke finally managed to shake Karin off his arm and stood up staring at the petit pink haired kunoichi in front of him. She wound her hair back into that messy bun from the night before and rammed her hair into her hair forcefully to keep the mess in place. Sasuke had the strangest desire to walk over to her and take the pins out again, to see her hair falling down her back but squashed the feeling. This was no time for dormant hormones to start acting up.

"Well you better not have tried anything with him, he'd mine you hear me!"

"Relax." Sakura rolled her eyes, "Nothing happened to your dearest Sasuke-kun.

Sakura turned towards her former teammate, her face a carefully controlled emotionless mask. She would probably never see him again, because even if he was successful at defeating his brother, Sasuke would never return to Konoha, Sakura knew that. She bit her tongue to keep the tears from welling into her eyes and bowed her head towards him.

"Until we meet again, Sasuke-san" '_There's that Sasuke-san again, I wonder why she would use the honorific at all then?' "_I hope everything works out for you."

He watched her for a moment and then inclined his head back at him, his polite final good bye. She turned around and walked out the mouth of the cave, the sun shining on obnoxiously pink hair and he had the strangest small desire to stop her, pull her back into the cave and make her stay with him. But he didn't, he just watched his former teammate walk away from him. '_Her walking away from me is an interesting change... at least theres no tears this time.'_

Sasuke turned to his new female teammate who stared at the mouth of the cave with jealousy and distain written on her features before she turned to him and with confusion and infatuation in her eyes. She had opened her mouth and was about to say something when he nodded towards the mouth of the cave and made his way forward towards it.

"Come on, lets go."

**#**

**FINISHED! Wow that took me a lot longer then I expected it to and I apologize. Between work and taking care of my siblings I have no time to sit and pee let alone write. That and I also lost track of my plotline for a bit, I just couldn't figure out where I wanted to go with the story. **

**Anyways, enough of the boring stuff, I wanted to once again thank everyone who sent me reviews, it was very nice to hear good things. **

**Not making any promise's for a due date with the next chapter, but I've started it already so it shouldn't be to much longer. **

**Later!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not in anyway own Naruto and such related items. I will however lay claim to this plot line, but lets face it there's no way I'm gonna make it big with this story anyways so big deal.**

**#**

Sakura sped through the forest like the fires of hell were licking at her heels. She had to hurry, not only was she running late returning home from her mission and she didn't want to be in this part of the forest anymore then she had to be. Of course she knew he wouldn't come after her, there was no point. By the time she made it back to Konoha and made her report he would be well out of the country and damn near impossible to trace. But she felt the urge to flee from his presence anyways, to save herself from emotions she thought she had buried long ago.

Sakura shook her head trying to rid the thoughts of him from her mind. He was still as good looking as ever, only now his body had lost any boyishness it had previously had. His body was all lean hard muscle, toned ruthlessly through the training he'd endured under Orochimaru. If he had been eye candy before… she was surprised she was able to keep from oogling him all night. And it pissed her off that after all the effort she'd put into pushing the thoughts of him into the back of her mind she still reacted the way she did. Then she provoked him, allowing her anger and frustration to get the better of her and it only made her angrier as he arrogantly pushed her against the wall in retaliation to her words. She'd managed to annoy him, but the knowledge had given her little satisfaction, hadn't she always annoyed him?

She reached tree she'd originally taken refuge under and sighed at the sight of her poor soaked blanket, pillow and pack. She was grateful for the waterproof material of her pack, it saved all her things from getting wet, but her pillow and blanket were out in the open and exposed to the harsh weather that had graced them last night. Sakura stuffed the wet material into her pack and leaned against the bark of the tree gently for a moment. Those few hours she'd spent in his presence was going to bug her constantly for the next few days and in her mind she made plans to distract herself by any harsh means necessary. '_I'm not going to fall back into that pathetic mind frame again. He is a traitor and a killer you want nothing to do with him Sakura!'_ She pushed herself off the trunk of the tree and grimaced slightly '_Great, now I'm talking to myself…' _She slung the pack over her shoulders and took off into the trees, unconsciously pushing her chakra into her legs until she was moving at a breathtaking speed.

But thoughts of him still trickled through her mind, relentless to her attempts to distract herself and after a while she gave up trying, allowing the words and memories to float though her mind. '_You're still annoying.'_ That bugged her, although she refused to allow him the satisfaction of seeing it. She wasn't the annoying, persistent fan girl she used to be, she'd grown up, gotten stronger and yet he refused to acknowledge her achievements. Then again, she wasn't sure why she had expected him to in the first place.

'_Seems his social skills haven't gotten any better either.' _The tension in the little cave had pushed her to a breaking point and she made a desperate attempt at polite conversation. Of course it hadn't worked, he remained silent and stoic as ever but she'd hoped he would relent and at least say _something. _She knew Orochimaru was dead; a man that evil couldn't die with out the rest of the world knowing about it. She was also sure Sasuke was the one who killed him; such an assumption wasn't hard to make. She wanted to know the story though, she was curious about how he'd managed to kill the man who'd ripped her team apart years ago.

'_It's not like this really matters anyway, I'm probably never going to see him again. He's not an idiot, he knows that as soon as I get back into Konoha I'm going straight to Tsunade-shishou and telling her what happened. Any smart person in his position would be high-tailing it out of this forest as fast as humanly possible.'_ She shook her head slightly and forced herself to focus on where she was going. '_Comon Sakura, forget about this for right now. The sooner you get home the sooner you can have a nice hot shower and get something to eat.'_ Her stomach growled lightly in response to her thoughts and she bounded forward, urging herself to go faster.

She failed to notice the figure hiding in the shadows as she flew from tree to tree in her haste to get home. Cold eyes glinted malevolently, trailing after the young kunoichi until she was almost out of sight before leaping forward after her.

**#**

Karin leapt from branch to branch trying to close the distance between her and Sasuke but the pace he moved at was swift and steady; she ran as fast as she could with out tiring herself out and frowned slightly at the knowledge that in Sasuke's mind, this was a leisurely pace. He seemed distracted, his leaps looking mechanic and not at all like the graceful way he usually moved. His chakra too seemed more chaotic, like he wasn't focusing on keeping it suppressed and under control, and Karin wondered vaguely if the source of his distraction was the pink haired woman she had found him with at the cave. It irked her why the girl was there in the first place; it obviously was someone he had known because the Sasuke she knew would kill strangers like that in an instant and not think twice about it. Hell, from what she'd heard he would kill people he did know and not think twice about it, such was the nature of Sasuke. And Karin assumed he had always been like that because she couldn't imagine him acting any other way then the cold demurer that he treated her and the rest of the team with.

It seemed like she was wrong though because he had obviously spent the night with a young pink haired kunoichi and she managed to walk away from the encounter. And it was obvious that they knew each other, but from where, she had no idea. Karin couldn't stop the jealously that knotted in the pit of her stomach; that tiny, pink haired girl had spent the night _alone _with Sasuke, something she had never had the chance to do and she oh so desperately wanted to. She sighed and focused on keeping up with the deadly shinobi in front of her.

Karin's auditable sigh had snapped Sasuke from his thoughts and he couldn't decide whether he was grateful or annoyed at the interruption. His encounter with Sakura hadn't been anything special, she was there, they fought, she talked and then they slept, or rather she slept while he tried to. It was uneventful, something he would generally put from his mind and forget about within hours. And yet, he still thought about it, playing over the words in his head and remembering little details that didn't mean anything to him. Like how long her hair had grown since he had last saw her, or how it seemed she hadn't grown any taller. Sasuke fought the desire to shake his head, although he wished the physical movement could shake the thoughts from his mind. She represented everything of the life he'd said good bye to years ago and her presence was unwanted in his mind. He could feel annoyed anger bubbling with in his stomach and scowled; even when she was gone she still managed to annoy him.

Coming around a tree he could see the small camp his cohorts had set up for the night and felt a strange relief fill him. He couldn't wait to get out of this place and put everything that had transpired out of his mind. He had a goal to fulfill, a traitor to kill and no one was going to get in his way, especially not pink haired kunoichi he left behind years ago.

Sasuke landed silently on the ground in the middle of the camp, and glanced around at his teammates. Suigetsu, who had been dozing lightly at the base of a tree, met his eyes briefly before standing and stretching lightly. If Sasuke was back then that meant they were on the move again. Juugo stood as well, his quiet calm face displaying no emotion as he gazed at the Uchiha and the red headed tracker. No one said anything they moved around, gathering together the few belongings they kept with them and readying themselves to move out again. Sasuke picked up his discarded pack and slipped his arms through the straps, arranging it comfortably on his shoulders. He took another glance around and seeing that his teammates were ready to move he tensed, muscles tightening in anticipation of the snapping release that would send him flying in the air and into the branches above him. And just as he was about to spring forward a startled gasp made his falter, the momentum sending him spinning around, his body ready for attack.

A quick scan of his eyes told him that there was no threat to them. Karin was standing with her back to him, her red hair blowing around in the wind and she focused on the trees directly in front of them. In the back of his mind Sasuke also noticed that she was staring in the precise direction Konoha lay and Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly, suspicion building in the pit of his stomach.

"What is it?" He asked quietly. His voice was barely a whisper but he knew that she'd heard him because her shoulders tensed up and twitched slightly before she turned slowly to face him.

"I-I can feel a fight taking place…"She said softly. Her eyes darted around, refusing to meet his own and she bit her lip before continuing. "I can feel two very strong chakra signatures, one of them is that girl you were with in the cave this morning and the last one is… Itachi." Karin waited a moment before glancing up, determined to meet the eyes of the Uchiha prodigy.

Problem was he was already gone.

#

A prickling sensation on the edge of her senses made Sakura fully alert. She had been so focused on not focusing on Sasuke that she hadn't been paying attention to what was going on around her. Now it seemed that someone was following her from a distance, obviously thinking that they wouldn't be noticed. '_They almost weren't noticed, it's a good thing that your senses pay attention, even when you don't Sakura.'_

She concentrated on the faint chakra signature and although she couldn't place it, it seemed strangely familiar but in an unfriendly sort of way. It sent a strange frightened tingle down her spine and she desperately tried to rein in her emotions. Obviously who ever this person was, they were dangerous to her and being so close to Konoha they threatened the security of her beloved home as well. She couldn't let this nameless shinobi get the better of her.

Quickly devising a plan, Sakura regulated her chakra levels and calmed her mind. She needed to be focused if this was going to work at all. Slowly and subtly she pulled a special paper bomb from the small pouch on the front of her vest. She smirked, this little bomb was a creation of Tenten and hers; it could be regulated and detonated using chakra. All it needed was a little blood on the seal and they were in business. Not only that, it had the potential to be 20 times more powerful then a regular paper bomb, depending on the chakra control of the shinobi. This guy wouldn't know what hit him. She poked her finger on the sharp tip of a kunai and smeared the droplet of blood onto the seal of the bomb before placing it between her lips gingerly. As she rounded a small bend her hand blurred in rapid hand signs. She only had a small window of time to make this work so she quickly made a clone of herself, without missing a step she allowed it to take her place moving in perfect time with her as she slapped the bomb onto the tree branch and ducked behind its enormous trunk. She suppressed her chakra, masking it oblivion before doubling back with incredible speed, hoping that her pursuer didn't notice the trap she'd just set. She hid behind the trunk of another tree feeling his chakra pass her. She didn't dare watch his progress, there was too good of a chance she would be spotted. So, she waited for a few moments before edging around the side of the trunk, her eyes following his movement as he neared her bomb.

'_That's right… keep moving, just a few more feet..." _ She curled her fingers into her palms, tensing her fist and allowing her sharp nails to bite into her hand. This had to work. '_Almost there… riiiggghhhhtttttttt-'_

"NOW!"

The paper bomb exploded deafeningly and she watched in fascination as the mysterious shinobi was engulfed into the bright dancing flames and smoke that erupted. There was no way he could survive a blast of that magnitude that close to it, as a medical professional she knew that for a fact. A triumphant smirked worked its way onto her features as she watched the flaming bits of branches and other tree debris fall to the ground. She could see the deep gash the blast had left in the poor tree but it couldn't be helped. Sakura just hoped that Mother Nature could forgive her for that.

'_He's dead and that's all that matters. God damnit I'm going to be so late getting home now.' _Sakura stood slowly, straightening and dusting off her clothing in mild annoyance. '_What is it with people today and bugging me? I cannot wait to get home, lock my door, unplug my phone and have a h-…" _She could feel that prickle on her senses a whole two seconds before a great ball of fire erupted behind her, moving at incredible speed towards her. Sakura just managed to get out of the way, coming to land none too gently on the ground and spun around as a cold, nightmarish voiced pierced through her mind.

"You didn't really think that would work, did you?" Itachi smirked as she knowingly as she refused to meet his gaze, staring intently at the collar of his shirt, but never allowing them to waver any higher. "That was a nice little trick you pulled, and it might have fooled someone like my dear younger brother but you're going to have to try harder if you want to live Sakura-chan."

'_Oh bloody fucking hell, why didn't I catch on to his chakra signature sooner then this!? Now I have two choices, either run away and have him kill me, or fight him and probably have him kill me then too. If I fight there's a chance some Konoha-nin will come by and send for help. Itachi's good but not good enough to fight a whole team of ninja. The irony of these last few days is starting to become rather startling.'_ Sakura tensed her stance and glared daggered into the shirt of the man who had caused too much damage to the team she once called family. She would fight him until she couldn't fight anymore, an irrational rage fuelling her and giving her the strength to crouch lightly; her muscles tightened and her chakra flared as she smirked at the traitor who'd ruined so many lives.

"Bring it on asshole."

#

**AN: AHHHH guys I'm sorry this took so bloody long. Life is distracting, plus I lost track of my plotline for a little bit there, I even went so far as to go back to grade 3 basics and write a plot web. It worked somewhat though; I definitely know where this story's going. This chapter is a little shorter then before, but I wanted to stop it there, don't worry though, next one will definitely be longer with all the fighting and stuff that will appear. We'll see how things go, but I highly doubt it will take that long for me to update again, I'd estimate about a week at the most. As always though review, review, REVIEW! :D**


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